23rd plenary meeting

4 May 1982

Preparations for the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, with special reference to its agenda

The Economic and Social Council,

Considering that in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 415 (V) of 1 December 1950 the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders is to be convened in 1985,

Bearing in mind General Assembly resolutions 32/59 and 32/60 of 8 December 1977 and 35/171 of 15 December 1980, in which the Assembly noted the importance of the United Nations congresses in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice,

Recognizing the significant contributions of the congresses in the promotion and strengthening of international co-operation in this field,

Recalling its decision 1981/122 of 6 May 1981, in which the Secretary-General was requested, without prejudice to the established reporting procedures, to submit a comprehensive statement on the preparatory work for the Seventh Congress to the Economic and Social Council at its first regular session of 1982,

Recalling also General Assembly resolution 36/21 of 9 November 1981, in which the Secretary-General was requested to take into account the relevant recommendations made by the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control at its seventh session regarding the preparations for the Congress,

Emphasizing the importance of undertaking all the preparatory activities in a timely and concerted manner,

Acknowledging the need to create governmental, professional and public awareness of the issues related to crime prevention and criminal justice in the context of development, particularly in the preparatory phase of the Congress,

Conscious of the positive response of many countries to the Caracas Declaration and the recommendations of the Sixth Congress, and of the need to keep national authorities involved in the preparations for the Seventh Congress,

Having considered the relevant recommendations made by the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control at its seventh session, bearing in mind that, in accordance with paragraph 2 of General Assembly resolution 32/60, the Committee is entrusted with the function of preparing the quinquennial United Nations congresses on the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders,

Taking note of the comprehensive statement of the Secretary-General and of the note on the continuation of preparations for the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders,

1. Approves the following provisional agenda for the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, as recommended by the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control at its seventh session:

1. Opening of the Congress;

2. Organizational matters;

3. New dimensions of criminality and crime prevention in the context of development: challenges for the future;

4. Criminal justice processes and perspectives in a changing world;

5. Victims of crime;

6. Youth, crime and justice;

7. Formulation and application of United Nations standards and norms in criminal justice;

8. Adoption of the report of the Congress;

2. Endorses the recommendations of the Committee, particularly the recommendation that item 3 should be discussed in plenary meetings, the remaining items being dealt with by two main committees;

3. Encourages Governments to make preparations for the Congress by all appropriate means, with a view to formulating national position papers;

4. Invites Member States to submit, for consideration by the Seventh Congress, information to the Secretary-General on the implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Congress, in order to ensure continuity between the two Congresses in accordance with resolution 17 of the Sixth Congress;

5. Also invites the regional commissions, the regional and international institutes in the field of crime prevention and the treatment of offenders, the specialized agencies and other entities within the United Nations system, the intergovernmental organizations concerned, and non-governmental organizations having consultative status with the Economic and Social Council to become actively involved in the preparations for the Seventh Congress;

6. Urges the Secretary-General to undertake the necessary interagency consultations within the machinery of the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination as a means of facilitating the work of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control in its function of assisting the Council in co-ordinating activities in the field of crime prevention and control;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures to ensure the successful undertaking of the preparatory activities for the Seventh Congress as well as the success of the Congress itself, including the convening of the regional preparatory meetings and interregional meetings of experts in 1983 and 1984, and the commissioning of experts and consultants, selected with due regard to equitable geographical representation, to assist in the preparation of the necessary documentation and in the professional conduct of the proceedings of the Congress, in accordance with past practice and with rule 60 of the provisional rules of procedure of the congresses;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the necessary additional resources, including temporary assistance, to the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat in order to enable its Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch to undertake, in an effective and timely manner, all the preparatory activities for the Seventh Congress.

9. Recommends that adequate provision should be made for the attendance of the regional commissions at the next session of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control and at the Congress;

10. Requests the Secretary-General to make available the necessary resources for the participation of the least developed countries in the regional preparatory meetings for the Congress and in the Congress itself;

11. Also requests the Secretary-General to provide additional resources, as required, to ensure a wide and effective programme of public information for the preparations for the Congress.